


A night out alone, together

by stelladonna



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Anachronistic, F/F, Kya actually makes Lin smile, Kyalin meet cute, Lesbian Sex, Modern AU, Road Trips, Smut, coffee shop AU is a rite of passage for a fic writer, coffee shop and movie date, come for kyalin stay for the views, feel good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:08:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29403879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelladonna/pseuds/stelladonna
Summary: Kya treats herself to a solo date at the movies and notices another lonesome woman there. Perhaps they can be alone together...
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kya (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 49
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU in a modernish American setting. Both women are meeting each other for the first time and have no filial ties.
> 
> While this is technically explicit, it's pretty wholesome overall. I always waver between M/E in my ratings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Warning: Explicit sex, recreational cannabis use.

It was early spring and the days were getting longer, though what was left of the winter cold still bit the night air. Bundled in a blue coat, Kya strolled along the boulevard of a quaint neighborhood to catch an evening movie. A film she had loved in the post-adolescent hormonal fury of her youth was playing in honor of the 25th anniversary of its release date.

She was running late but didn’t bother picking up her feet to hurry along, and the cold was a welcome reminder of her far away home. 

Theater 8 was dark, save for the flashing previews on the screen which reflected mostly empty red velvet seats and two or three folks spread wide about the room. Kya found a seat toward the front middle and with no one around, made herself comfortable, splaying her legs and belongings about.

She rifled through her bag and pulled out a little wooden sneak-a-toke, weed smell emanating from the dugout. Shaking her head, she zipped it away in a side pocket. Should have hit it a few times before coming in. Matter fact – she looked at her watch, which she angled toward the light emanating from the screen. By her loose calculations she probably had about another five minutes or so until the actual movie started, so why not?

Kya didn’t want to pack up her scarf and coat and snacks she brought from home only to turn around and unpack it all again. Looking around the room, she saw a woman sitting ahead of her in the second row. 

“Psst,” Kya tried to get her attention but the woman ignored her. “Psst!” she said louder.

The woman turned around, her face stone in the hatchet lighting of the room. “Will you knock off that racket?” 

“Sorry,” Kya whispered, leaning against the seat in front of her. “I’m going to the bathroom – can you watch my stuff?”

The woman didn’t say anything but waved her arm dismissively before turning back around and fixating her gaze upon the screen. Kya wasn’t sure how to interpret her response but decided it meant yes.

She slipped out the theater and found her way to the alley to take a few puffs of the tasty Indica strain she picked up in California. After a spell, she was feeling mellow and ready to melt into her seat and watch a movie so headed back in, but not before getting the bright idea that she needed popcorn and a coke – the good kind with real sugar, not that franken-sweet crap.

How much time had passed, she hardly cared, though it stung to realize she missed the opening scene.

The woman toward the front rolled her eyes upon hearing – and smelling – the other woman return, but Kya was either none-the-wiser of her judgment or didn’t care. 

“Thank you,” she stonily whispered, before plopping back into her seat and kicking her feet up.

The film played on, and Kya found herself mouthing the words and tearing up to some scenes, not because she still found them particularly beautiful or profound but because she was nostalgic for what she used to feel. She shivered then; while she was alone, she suddenly felt lonely, and old. 

Her eyes wandered back to the lone, grumpy woman ahead of her, who chose to sit in the second row for some peculiar reason she found herself guessing at, rather than paying attention to the particulars of the film. Perhaps she had poor eye sight, or maybe it was something she used to do with a long-lost lover, a sister, a son or daughter. Maybe she didn’t want anyone’s eyes to catch the light from the images before hers.

When the film ended and credits played, the others got up to leave but Kya and incidentally the other woman stayed all the way until the curtains closed and the lights came on. Without looking in Kya’s direction, the woman put on her coat and left. 

Kya watched the woman not-so subtly, struck by her now lit-up face and gait as she strutted out the theater. 

Deciding to continue her date with herself, Kya wandered into a late-night coffee shop that also served beer. It was an open mic night full of mostly homegrown musicians with acoustic guitars and beat poets reciting beat poetry. She grabbed a decaf latte – decaf because she was well over forty and caffeine would keep her up all night, unlike when she was a kid and would down espresso shots and stay up late into the night talking politics and revolutionary philosophy and passionately fucking her girlfriend.

The young woman at the mic was singing folk cover tunes, her hair long and frizzy and parted down the middle. She was a calculated kind of awkward-looking, but her crooning voice rang through Kya’s soul. 

Looking about the room at the patrons, Kya noticed the same woman from the theater sipping from a mug. She looked angry to be there, but by the way she bopped her head along to the music, Kya realized it was merely resting bitch face with a pair of delicately thin, pink lips. She had to talk to her.

Kya ambled her way across the room, weaving through the crowd. As she approached, she realized the woman was a few inches shorter than her, though from afar she appeared taller. Her greying hair hung above her shoulders, but if her hair betrayed her age, the rest did not. A rakishly muscular frame supported her curves, hand resting on her hip as she watched the open mic performer. 

“Hiii.” Kya put on her best flirtatious smile, forward enough but not too aggressive. 

“Yes?” The other woman said. 

“Ouch. Aren’t we a salty dog? Remember me? From the movie?” 

The woman squinted and sniffed. “That’s right. How could I forget the stench of your pot? I got a contact high just sitting there.”

Kya smelled herself, shrugged. “Sorry bout it. I mean, if you want to get high for real, we can prolly take a walk or something, get to know each other…”

“If you’re trying to sell me drugs, I’ll pass. I’m enjoying a quiet evening alone, now if you excuse me,” The woman said gruffly.

Kya took the hint. She was a prodigious beauty in her youth and had taken many lovers, even living through one or two great loves. Even with all her confidence, rejection still stung.

“For one, I’m not a drug dealer. I just wanted someone to talk to on this beautiful, lonesome night, and then I thought – you know what? Not worth it. Good night.” Kya didn’t have to explain herself to this grump.

The woman shook her head. “Wait. That was rude. I’m… sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. Although, pot is illegal in this state, you know.”

Kya rolled her eyes. “What are you a square? It should never have been illegal in the first place.”

“You’re probably right. I am a square. Actually, I am – was – a police officer.”

“Well then. It’s been nice talking to ya; you have a good rest of your life now,” Kya said, once again turning to leave.

“So now you don’t want to talk to me anymore because I said I was a cop,” the woman folded her arms and lifted an eyebrow.

Kya swung around. “You’re the one who said you didn’t want to be bothered.”

“Maybe I lied.” The woman shrugged. “Maybe I…”

“Have a chip on your shoulder?”

Their eyes met for the first time. The woman’s green emeralds searching Kya’s ocean blues. Energy danced about Kya's chest; her head turned hot. Needing something to swallow, she took a sip of coffee.

“I’m Kya, by the way,” she said finally after a long silence filled with rhythmic guitar strumming and ‘oohs and ahhs’ from the performer.

“Lin.”

“Been meaning to ask you ever since we were in the theater – why did you sit so close the front? You have to crank your head all the way up to see everything.”

Lin blushed and doubled up inside of herself. “I – ah – well, you are very observant.”

“I was a journalist in a former life. And then I dabbled in anthropology.”

Lin considered a moment and said. “I usually sit in the back, the very back. Like I said I was a cop, so I never really turned it off. Sitting back there gave me a better vantage point, more control. Tonight I sat in the front because, well, I wanted to see what letting go of control was like.”

“And how was it?” Kya said, her attention now focused intently on Lin. 

“It was… irritating but OK. I suppose I have you to thank for that.”

“Thanking me for irritating you? Never heard that one before, but anything to help out my fellow woman.”

Lin recoiled. “I can’t believe I just told you – a complete stranger – that!”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve been told I have that effect on people.” Kya winked. “But in all seriousness, that’s awesome you did that. Thank you for sharing that with me.”

“No need to get all sentimental.”

“Fine, I won’t. So, officer, aren’t you gonna punish me?”

Lin choked on the coffee she just sipped. “Excuse me?? For what?”

“For smoking the illegal reefer, the POT?”

Lin met the other woman’s gaze; the corner of her mouth curled ever so barely upward. “Is that what you want?”

“Hey now, I’m not guilty of anything, so I see no reason for it. You, on the other hand, look like you carry a lot of proverbial weight on your shoulders.”

“Likely, but not something I’m getting into.”

“Fair enough,” Kya took a step forward, finding herself inches from Lin. The smell of the other woman’s earthy perfume intoxicated her. It was months since her last good lay, not since her secret affair with that twenty-something woman that lasted a steamy month before fizzling out. She continued: “Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush – too old for that. I find you very attractive – I have a studio a few blocks from here. We could enjoy each other’s company awhile, listen to records, drink wine, make love. Passionately.”

Lin inhaled sharply. Kya couldn’t read the other woman and it excited her immensely. Lin was hardened, but something about her seemed vulnerable, perhaps her unspoken stories – like the scar that swooped across her cheek. The woman before Kya was utterly beautiful. She had hoped Lin would say yes, and the quiet suspense of an answer gutted her. 

Finally, Lin exhaled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but OK.” She gulped down the rest of her coffee. 

Sensing the lack of confidence in Lin’s answer, Kya responded: “Are you sure? I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Lin took a step toward Kya, maintaining eye contact; they could all but give in to the pull of attraction bringing them ever closer. “Trust me, I’m already way out of my comfort zone. But I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t want it. You caught me on a night.” 

Heat burned through Kya’s chest and found its way to her sacrum. She nodded slowly, desperately trying to maintain her composure amidst the crowd and in front of the woman she was publicly seducing. “It’s settled then.” 

Lin nodded and Kya took her hand, leading her out the door of the crowded coffee shop. 

*

The outside air smacked Lin out of her reckless reverie, and she unhooked her hand from Kya’s to button up her overcoat. She gazed at the woman opposite her now standing under the dim light of the parking lot. Kya appeared confident and comfortable in silken grey hair and copper skin and blue eyes which seemed to shine brighter in the dark. And just like that, desire enveloped Lin again.

She found one foot following the other the few blocks to a craftsman style cottage. Kya unlocked the door and motioned for her to enter. It was a tiny space, no more than 400 square feet but the windows were vaulted, allowing for breathing room. Lin looked around at the fixtures on the walls and the massive record collection next to a vintage record player.

“Would you like something to drink? Wine?” Kya said, making her way to the kitchen two steps away. 

“I’ll have one glass. Gotta drive,” Lin said.

Kya gave her a look, not one of offense but, rather, respect and a mutual understanding. 

“Quite the record and book collection you’ve got in this little space.”

“I wish I could boast them as my own, but I’m subletting this space from an old friend and colleague.” Kya handed Lin a glass of Malbec. “Please also make yourself comfortable. Forgot to mention that before.”

The two women faced each other. 

“Shall we toast?” Kya said. 

“To what?”

“To this beautiful night, and…” Her voiced dropped to a sultry hum. “To lovely company.”

“Oh.” Lin blushed. 

They clanked glasses. 

“This isn’t something I usually do,” Lin continued after taking a sip.

Kya smiled warmly. “I gathered that.” 

“I mean I’m good ol reliable Lin. Ol lonely Lin.” She kept her gaze upon the other woman, unable to tear her eyes away. 

“And how does it feel?” 

“It feels like – my body is screaming.” 

“Listen, I’m not trying to convince you of anything. I told you what I’m about.”

“You misunderstand me. That’s what I like about you.” Lin placed her glass down and husked: “You don’t beat around the bush.”

Kya crooked a flirtatious smile. “Well I’m very glad I bothered you.” 

Lin felt herself gravitating in Kya’s direction. She wanted to bury her head in the other woman’s neck, wanted to kiss along her jawline. “How about some music?”

“Great idea! This guy has a wicked awesome collection. What are you in the mood for?”

“Um, well, I don’t really know. Any jazz?”

“Jazz? You are an old lady huh?” Kya teased. “Just kidding, so am I. This old bag of bones loves jazz too. Do we want something singy-songy or chaotic?”

“Singy-songy sounds good.” Lin couldn’t believe she just said singy-songy. 

“Great! How about a little Ella? Or Billie? Peggy? Lee, that is.”

“Any of ‘em. On second thought – I love Billie but the lyrics are about her getting cheated on and beat by her man but loving him anyway. Not really good for setting the mood. But then again, they all sang sad songs. Let’s go with Ella.”

Kya gave Lin a surprised look. “You do know a thing or two -- maybe you’re not a square after all. I feel like I’m slowly uncovering the mystery that is Lin.”

“We just met. But then again you probably already know more about me than people I spent twenty years working alongside.” 

“Not much of a talker huh?” 

Lin shrugged. “Not really. Why say more than needs to be said?” 

“I like good conversation. They become rarer as I get older, so I cherish every one of them. I spent a long time traveling and working remotely. It’s wonderful to be free, but it gets lonely.”

The music played and the two women sat awkwardly at the foot of the couch which was inches from the kitchen which was inches from the bathroom.

“So if I’m a square, what does that make you?” Lin said finally.

Kya turned toward her. “A circle, baby.” 

Of its own volition, Lin’s head tilted toward Kya’s, and she took in the other woman’s breezy scent, like the ocean but sweeter. Whatever it was sent her in a tizzy. “And what does that mean?” 

“Means life’s a circle of endless death and rebirth. Of change. And I’m flowing with it. Trick is to be like water, honey.”

“Is that so?”

Kya nodded as she leaned in and planted a kiss on Lin’s thin lips. The soft crash of their mouths sent Lin’s synapses spiraling. The dizzying sensation was almost like being a kid again, like the first time she kissed a girl after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend. Like a confirmation she was gay all over again because no man had ever made her body react this way.

Lin leaned back on the twin bed – another reminder of her wasted youth – as Kya bent over her, kissing her delicately at the corners of her mouth, her chin, near where her nape met her ear. She moaned and shivered as Kya’s warm tongue teased her. 

“Wait,” Lin said, her breath already escaping. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Kya relented her kisses. “Of course. It’s right over there.” 

The bathroom could have been fit for a plane or train, except with Spanish-style tiles. Lin leaned over the sink and splashed water on her face then gave the long scar on her cheek a good look. Kya was the first person who didn’t ask Lin how she got that scar after two seconds of knowing her, and she loved that. If Lin was being honest with herself, it probably would have made the difference between tonight.

“What the hell am I doing?” Lin shook her head, but her heart pounded and her body ached to be touched. 

“Everything OK in there?” Kya’s voice called from the other side of the door.

Her voice carried clearly through the thin walls, and Lin wondered if the other woman had heard her previous statement. “Yes, all good. Just a minute.” 

She heard shuffling and the record switch to another sultry singer. This was just the kind of music that made Lin hot. Why talk when she could listen to a voice like that?

In a second, Lin would go out there and talk with Kya until it was time for them to stop talking. But like in her youth, she had butterflies. These rare nerves – were they fear or excitement? A cocktail?

Lin slid the bathroom door open. “I’ll take another glass of wi—”

She stopped mid-sentence at the sight of Kya leaning on the bed making eyes, the strap of her top dangling below her shoulder. 

Without saying another word, Lin took two steps to the bed and planted herself next to Kya. She kissed the other woman’s shoulder and felt a shiver against her lips, sending her once again in a tizzy of lust.

Kya got up and faced Lin, who sat at the edge with her legs spread. Maintaining eye contact, the brown beauty lifted her shirt above her head and threw it across the room to land on a pile of records. Next came her pants, which she slid off one slender leg at a time. Lin followed suit, unbuttoning her shirt and slipping off her bottoms. Probably should have shaved her legs recently but oh well. 

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile since I met you,” Kya said triumphantly as she unhooked her bra. Her breasts tumbled out, dark nipples hard and exposed to the cold air.

“What? No. Maybe.” Lin’s lips couldn’t help but curl upward at the sight of the naturally beautiful woman undressing in front of her. That’s new, she thought. “OK, maybe I am. But keep it mum. I don’t want folks thinking I’ve gone soft.”

Kya’s body was curved in all the right ways, her skin still smooth and taut. Lin needed this woman on top of her ASAP. 

“Come over here.” 

Next thing she knew, Kya was straddling her on the bed kissing her and moaning into her lips. Lin felt along Kya’s lower back and gripped her ass. As they kissed, Kya began grinding up and down. Lin was on fire with want as they dry humped. But then Kya’s mouth found its way to Lin’s creamy tit and suckled, causing Lin to arch her back and let out a spasmed moan. She breathed into the warm, wet sensations of Kya’s tongue at her nipple, Kya’s hand reaching down to explore the potential space between them. Lin was dripping wet down there which didn’t go unnoticed by the other woman, who rubbed at the wet spot atop her cotton panties.

They spent what felt like hours grinding and kissing and touching, teasing the clit before the inevitable main event. At that age, they no longer felt the need to rush, and being present in the sensations was more important than coming– though that was also fucking wonderful.

Still on top, Kya lifted up Lin’s leg and angled her now exposed pussy to grind against Lin’s, bucking her hips back and forth. They both moaned and breathed into it, their pussy lips meeting like a French kiss but wetter, sloppier. Kya leaned over to plant more kisses atop Lin’s other lips, tongues twirling. 

Their bodies glistened with sweat and heat floated up to the high ceilings of the tiny cottage; amassed about the room was the atmosphere and smell of sex.

Finally, Kya trailed kisses down Lin’s quivering torso. She kissed along her hip, her thigh, her pussy.

“I need you. Now.” Lin demanded.

Kya plunged her tongue between the other woman’s folds to dance along the clit.

Lin's hips bucked into Kya’s mouth and began gyrating as Kya got busy rhythmically sucking and lolling.

“Fuck. Me,” Lin huffed. 

“With pleasure,” Kya breathed. 

Next thing Lin knew, two strong fingers were pumping in and out of her pussy as Kya continued to eat her out. She felt the heat rising in her sacrum and head and chest, and orgasm washed over her in a long wave. Her entire body tensed and slowly released as Kya continued to lick the pussy, slower now until Lin became too sensitive and pushed her away.

Kya climbed up and lay next Lin, who was still catching her breath. They kissed, Lin tasting her own wetness in Kya’s mouth. 

Now it was her turn.

Lin flipped Kya onto her back and kissed down to her wide nipple, licking and sucking, one then the other. Her fingers -- two at first, then three -- pumped in and out of Kya’s pussy, curling upward against the padded spot. 

Kya let out breathy moans as her hips gyrated against Lin’s deft fingers.

Making her way down, she dipped her tongue between the other woman’s folds, reveling in the wetness against her taste buds. She had an oral fixation in her youth that never went away completely, and here she sated her long-suppressed impulses. 

Lin lived in this moment between Kya’s legs, her tongue doing laps around the clit. 

A minute later, Kya was gripping Lin’s hair, huffing “Please, I’m not ready to come yet.”

And Lin took her cue to kiss once again along Kya’s thighs and up the lower belly, while she put her fingers to work, pumping in and out the pussy. They gave each other a look and smiled like they were in on an inside joke – two women who had just met churning love into poetry and all that jazz.

A few minutes of finger fucking and lavishing affection on Kya’s wonderful breasts was followed breathily with “I’m ready – go.”

Lin’s thumb encircled Kya’s clit, and she plunged her tongue down there once again.

She could feel the tension in Kya’s body as they gripped each other’s sweaty hands, Kya’s toes curling to a point like a ballerina dancer. 

Lin kept up the rhythm -- no more funny stuff, just sheer focus on pleasing the woman below her and the moment at hand. Kya’s hips lifted up like a bridge and Lin watched her face contort in pleasure as she came for what seemed like minutes. 

“Stop!” Kya said finally; her body had turned to jelly. 

Lin obeyed, satisfied with satisfying this strange woman before her. 

They lay there cuddling. Lin was never much of a cuddler but she was too exhausted and too much in want and so did it anyway, allowing herself for the first time in ages to open herself up, even if only for one night.

Lin almost whispered ‘thank you’ to the woman next to her but changed her mind. Instead she kissed Kya’s forehead and fell asleep. 

*

Lin awoke in the morning to the comforting smell of coffee. Kya was wearing a fluffy blue robe and fixing up two mugs.

“How do you take your coffee, sleepy head?”

“Black,” Lin yawned.

“That’s my girl.” 

Kya came ‘round and handed Lin a steaming cup, sat next to her. They exchanged lingering glances, Kya giddy like a teen. As for Lin, she was feeling something she almost didn’t recognize – relaxed.

“Good morning, by the way. Almost thought I wouldn’t get to say that, but here we are,” Kya said. 

“Surprised?”

“Pleasantly.”

They sat there quietly sipping coffee like two old ladies, smiling and smiling and smiling. Even Lin. Neither of them knew what would happen next, and it was a nice feeling.


	2. Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to see where Kyalin's journey takes them. 
> 
> Also, FYI: This story is a bit anachronistic. I like analog things, so yea.

The phone rang, a landline. Without checking caller ID, Lin answered.

“Hello?”

“Heyyy, Lin. Been thinking about you,” Kya’s voice said from the other line.

Lin all but melted into the receiver. She wanted to say she missed Kya; she couldn’t stop thinking about her, about them and what they’ve been doing to each other.

“That’s nice,” was all she could say.

Kya chuckled. “Don’t sound too excited.”

“That’s what I was going for, but I guess the ‘cool thing’ gets old when you get… old.”

“You are cool, you know.”

“I thought you said I was a square?” Lin twirled the phone cord around her long fingers.

“That’s before I knew better.”

“So what shape would you say I am now?”

Kya paused a moment. “I don’t know. Haven’t got you pegged yet. And I like that.”

“Pegged, eh?” Lin blushed at her own remark. This wasn’t the type of banter she was used to, but Kya brought out another side of herself she liked. 

“If that’s what you want. Or the other way around. Hint hint. Wink wink.”

Lin almost dropped the receiver. “Um, what are you doing tonight?”

“Packing.”

“Packing?” Lin was dumbfounded. “As in your belongings? To go somewhere?”

Kya sighed. “That’s why I’m calling. These last two weeks have been so incredibly amazing. I was actually calling to see if you could meet me at our coffee shop. Better to talk in person.”

The blood drained from Lin’s already pale face and her stomach dropped. She didn’t respond right away, forgot to.

“Hello?” Kya said on the other line.

“Yes, that’s fine,” Lin said, trying her best to collect herself. “What time?”

“Early this evening, say six? Unless you’re busy of course.”

“For twenty-five years I was busy at six almost every night, but now I’m all yours.”  
Another long pause on the other line sent Lin silently spiraling. 

“Good,” Kya replied finally.

They hung up and Lin let out a heavy sigh. What the hell was that? It was only 10 am, which meant she had another eight hours to agonize over their cryptic conversation.

Lin had spent a blissful two weeks being a complete lesbian shacked up in Kya’s cottage. Kya had yet to see Lin’s house, which she planned to invite her to that weekend, but now she wasn’t sure.

*

Clair de Lune was quietly bustling as usual. Patrons sat about comfy couches reading or writing or playing board games, all drinking coffee or beer. 

From afar Lin saw Kya sitting at a small table. She was reading something but Lin couldn’t make out what book. All she knew is her heart leapt at the sight of Kya engrossed in reading, gently stirring the spoon in the coffee mug to keep her hand busy. 

Lin approached. “May I sit?”

Kya grinned at the familiar voice. She got up and hugged Lin, kissed her on the cheek.

Lin melted into Kya’s arms and lips but tensed up at the realization of why she came there. 

Sensing Lin’s apprehension, Kya pulled away. “Do you want something to drink? On me.”

Uh oh, Lin thought. She’s offering to pay like she feels guilty about something. “Just a water. I’ll go get it. Want one?”

“Sure.”

She came back a minute later with two glasses of water and they took long sips, both seemingly hoping the other would say something. 

“I missed you,” Lin said, leaning her hand over the small round table. It was a moment of vulnerability, but she didn’t care. She had to be honest because she felt something coming.

Kya took Lin’s hand and padded the palm with her thumb. A single touch or look from Kya could flip Lin’s mood just like that. But that’s not why they were there. 

“I missed you too. It’s been maybe twenty-four hours since I last saw you. But I missed you.”

“And?”

Kya nodded. “And it sucks because I’m packing up. Leaving town.” 

Lin pulled her hand away. “I knew it. Well, it was fun while it lasted.”

“This was always my plan – stay here a month, maybe two and move on. I’ve been here six months now, but I didn’t expect these last two weeks to be…”

“What? You’re killing me with the suspense, you know.”

“Ah, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m just searching for the right words, which are: Fucking delightful.”

“I agree, so can’t you just stay a little longer?”

Kya shook her head. The next sub-letter is coming on the first. 

“So that’s it then,” Lin said, lowering her head. She almost blurted out that Kya could stay with her, but what would that mean? They’d really be cliché lesbians then. Plus, it didn’t seem like something Kya would be down for. 

“Doesn’t have to be.”

Lin perked back up. “It doesn’t?”

“You could come with me. At least for a little while, keep this party train going.” Kya took Lin’s hand again.

“You know my partying days are long over, right?”

Kya smirked. “So what have we been doing for the past two weeks then?”

“You tell me.”

“Making love – not just fucking, but that too. And talking. And listening to music. And smiling.”

“Acting like youngins’.”

“Acting like two people who enjoy each other’s company very much. When was the last time you took a vacation? Had an adventure?” Kya bellowed an excited tone.

“I never took vacations, and now that I took an early retirement from the force, it seems I’m on one long one.”

“Exactly! So come with me, if only for a little while. If you get bored or want to come back home, I’ll take you to nearest airport and send you flying.”

Lin wasn’t prone to spontaneous road trips. In fact, she used to roll her eyes at hipster beatnik vagabond layabouts lying about and not serving a function in the world. But she was different now. It took a hard self-reckoning, at any rate, and one that she continued to reckon with. 

Watching Kya, a woman she would have judged not long ago, was a confirmation that there could be meaning and purpose to that lifestyle, at least the relentless search for it. Without her old purpose as a police officer, she craved new meaning. And she didn’t want to lose another chance at happiness, not at this age.

“I’m going to say something I likely won’t regret, but there’s natural resistance, so bear with me.”

Kya nodded. “You’re going to say yes, you want to come but it’ll be hard to break out of your old ways and comfort zone, and you might waver back and forth until the moment finally comes?”

“Yes. Wow, you can sure read me, woman.”

“It’s natural. No worries, and no pressure. Just the present.”

“I’m used to having solid ground to stand on, you know.”

“Hey now, we’re not flying off to Mars. Just taking a little road trip to drink in the natural splendor of these purple mountains majesty.”

“Well when you put it like that – to be honest, the answer was and is yes. I just need to talk it out with you so I can convince myself I’m not crazy.”

“So what does that make me?”

“Beautiful.” Lin gazed into Kya’s eyes. She realized her hand had gotten sweaty but Kya didn’t make any attempt to let go.

“I want you,” Kya half whispered, and Lin leaned forward.

“I want you too.”

“Help me pack?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”


	3. Hitchhiker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the ladies spot a hitchhiker.

On the day of their adventure, Kya pulled up to Lin’s first thing in the morning in an old Volkswagen minibus with a baby blue body and white top. 

Lin slung her rucksack in the back, which had ample seating and cushions, and hopped in.

“Nice hippy van. Should’ve guessed.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Lin smirked. “Means your ride is very charming.”

Kya gave her side eye. “This my baby. I spent a lotta years living outta this thing.”

“I thought it’d be the other way around.” 

Kya considered a moment and followed with a delayed burst of laughter.

“I get it. Because babies live inside their mommas.” She shook her head. “That was a very bad dad joke.” 

Lin shrugged. “Wouldn’t know. Never knew my father.”

“Oh? Want to talk about it? We’ve got nothing but time.” 

“Not really.”

“Fair enough.” Kya wasn’t one to force touchy subjects but she wanted Lin to know she was there either way. 

They pulled onto the two-lane state route with orange groves stretching for miles and the occasional car passing by in the opposite direction. The sky was cloudy but not overcast, and the sun warmed the breezy air, a pure morning.

After a spell, Kya took one hand off the wheel and gripped Lin’s. “It’s all happening.”

“By the way, continuing our baby talk…” Lin began.

Kya took her hand back. “Yes?” she said nervously.

“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to give you any ideas. Just curious – do you have any children?” 

Kya shook her head. “No ma’am. Never wanted any, at least I thought I didn’t. But you know, there’s the point in almost every woman’s life where, even if they didn’t want kids, if they’re hitting that age, then I dunno. Sometimes. Out of panic, I guess. How about you?”

“Uh uh. I’m not one of those women. Never wanted kids – don’t even know how to act around them. In fact, that’s what broke up me and my first love – he wanted kids, and I didn’t. Later I realized it was more than that, but hey. The perks of getting old is more time to reflect.”

Lin rolled down the window and the chill air blew her hair all higgledy-piggledy.

“Thing that bothers me,” Lin continued, “is when people I hardly know ask me personal questions about my love life.”

“Exactly. It’s like, stay the hell outta my life! If I wanted a husband, a baby, a white picket fence, I’d have one already.”

Lin’s heart swelled. She had to control herself from leaning over and kissing Kya right then and there. Would have done it too if not for the driving. 

“You get me. I never thought in a million years someone like you would get me.”

Kya grabbed Lin’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Again with the backhanded compliment, but I don’t know – it’s sort of endearing coming from someone like you.”

Kya’s kiss sent a shiver down Lin’s spine. Even though they just started driving, she couldn’t wait until they were done for the day so she could snuggle up next to her. 

“Touché.” 

They pulled up to a gas station, and Kya filled the tank while Lin went inside and bought sandwiches from the deli. They sat at a bench with their paper map spread out on the table, eating sandwiches and loosely plotting their course. The map kept blowing away, so Lin grabbed a couple of nice stones and placed them at the edges.

“So, we’re going to California. Taking the southern route, then trailing up north to Canada in the Beautiful British Columbia. How’s that to start?” Kya said in between bites.

Lin shrugged. “Never been to either, so sounds good to me.”

“Mmmm this sandwich is dee-lish! Who woulda thought? And at a random deli in a lonely gas station.”

“Eating sandwiches is a great American pastime.” 

“Road trips too.” Kya got the idea to tease Lin, added: “I can think of something else that tastes even better.” She took another heaving bite of her sandwich.

“Oh, and what’s that?” Lin was genuinely curious, and Kya found this endearing.

“Never mind, you’ll see.” She winked. 

*

The landscape transformed to a dusty, desolate trail with brown hills undulating in the distance. 

“Music?” Kya said, after a long spell of silence save for the whooshing of passing wind.

“I’d thought you never ask. Do you have any Beach Boys?” 

“Yes! I love Beach Boys. Ahh, it’s so nice to have someone to be old with. The last girl I dated – the twenty something - never heard of them and then when I showed her, she said it wasn’t her ‘vibe.’ Lissen, I know vibes, OK? I spent my life vibin’.”

“Kids these days,” Lin teased.

They cranked up Pet Sounds, which Kya happened to have recorded on cassette tape. 

The taped turned and ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice” bellowed from the old speakers while they both sang along.

Wouldn't it be nice if we were older?  
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long  
And wouldn't it be nice to live together  
In the kind of world where we belong?

Lin noticed Kya’s hand had moved to her leg and was sliding up her inner thigh. She gasped at the sensation and placed her hand atop Kya’s to help it along. Then she reached over and reciprocated, feeling Kya’s body contract momentarily at the touch before relaxing into it. The two women touched each other atop their clothing, sliding their hands in and underneath occasionally as the rest of the album played.

*

From afar, Kya spotted a hitchhiker, a young man with a contagious smile and pearly white teeth that shone a mile away.

“Should we?” She gave Lin a glance.

“Should we what?”

Kya nodded in the direction of the hitchhiker. “Pick him up.”

Lin turned to Kya with wide, incredulous eyes. “Are you serious?”

“For the most part, I try to keep a balance between silly and serious, but in this case – very.”

Lin was silent, and Kya continued. “Hey I used to be one of those kids. Besides, I can see auras, and he’s radiating good vibes, even from here.”

“We can’t just let juju stuff dictate our lives!”

But Kya was already pulling over. “You can protect me if things go south,” she said with a smirk.

Lin folded her arms and braced herself as the hitchhiker approached. He looked up through the passenger window at Lin, who gave him a devil of a look before turning her head forward and staring off into the middle distance. The man recoiled but eased up again when he noticed Kya’s smile.

“Where ya headed, Kid?” Kya said.

“Howdy ma’ams. Heading West to Hollywood, gonna be in the movies,” The young man drawled.

Lin rolled her eyes. 

“We’re headed that way. Hop in!” Kya said.

“Awesome! Wait – y’all aren’t gonna kidnap me and use my beautiful body to do bad things, are ya? Like, you’re not cannibals or rapists, right?”

Lin turned to the young man and with a deadpan face, said: “No, but if you try anything funny, I will hurt you and lock you up.”

The man gulped and chuckled awkwardly. His big green eyes betrayed an innocence about him that put Kya at ease. 

“Oh don’t listen to her. She just wants to make sure you’re not gonna hurt us!”

He lifted his right hand. “Scouts honor, I am a good boy – I mean,” He lowered his voice an octave, “Man.”

“Weren’t you just talking in a southern drawl a second ago?” Lin said suspiciously.

“Oops, oh yeah. Gotta work on that. I’m practicing for this role I’m going for. Haven’t even made it to Hollywood yet, and I’ve already got an audition!”

“OK, calm down,” Lin said. She gave him a once over. The young man was a fine specimen with bouldering muscles and silky black hair and a little cowlick that swooped down his forehead. “But I can see it. You’ll make it, kid.”

Kya’s heart was brimming. Was grumpy Lin being nice? 

The young man came ‘round the back and got in with his large rucksack. As he walked around, Kya checked him out in the side mirror and said: “Oh my God, I’m cured!”

Lin chuckled. “Hope not, for my sake.”

“You know I’m not.”

They both gave each other a look, and the young man climbed in completely oblivious to their exchange. 

He sat on a cushion and leaned in toward the middle. 

“The name’s Bolin.”

“Hello. I’m Kya, and this is Lin.” She said, pulling back onto the road.

“Gah this is so awesome. Just the three of us on the open road. Adventure, going to Hollywood.” Bolin said all wide-eyed. “Hey, be honest. Before I slipped outta the southern drawl, was it believable? I mean, do I look and sound like a hero… of the South?”

“No.” Lin said.

Bolin shrank in his seat, and Lin felt a little bad about it, added. “But like I said, I don’t doubt you’ll make it. You just have to compete with the thousands upon thousands of other beautiful people who show up to Hollywood hoping to make their dreams come true.”

“Yeah! And I’m gonna do it!” Bolin said excitedly. “And I’ll have you mature ladies to thank for that. What are you – sisters? Lovers?”

The two women exchanged a knowing glance and Bolin figured it out pretty quickly.

“I like you, kid. Excuse me, Man.” Kya said.

“Aw, I actually don’t mind be called kid. Sounds like Billy the Kid – who I’m absolutely not anything like in real life. Just like the name. Maybe the outlaw stuff is cool too, but not the murder.”

Lin shot him a look. “Outlaws and vigilantes. Dealt with a few of those in my life. They’re A-nnoying.”

Bolin laughed nervously and Kya put on music. As a pleasant surprise, Bolin seemed to groove to just about any old thing that played.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is turning out to be a lot of fun. I love road trips sm! PS. I'll try my best to keep it fresh until the end.


	4. Austin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyalin and Bolin make it to Austin. Bolin meets a purdy lady.

Stevie Wonder played on the tape deck. Lin was driving and Kya half napped with her head leaning against the window sill staring out off into the horizon that, no matter far you drove, would be there forevermore. Bolin snored loudly; poor kid was tired from hitchhiking all this way from New York, an impressive feat. 

Which is why Kya thought she was dreaming when she heard a squeaky chattering sound rise above the music. A black footed ferret emerged from Bolin’s shirt, its little head and black paws scurrying about the van and having a look around.

“Ahh!” Lin yelled, swerving the van before regaining course. “What in Sam Hill is that?”

Kya jolted awake. “I don’t know, but it’s cute!” 

“Bolin, wake your ass up. Now!” 

Bolin was still drooling and snoring; didn’t rouse. Kya splashed water on his face, and he popped up. 

“What the?? What’s going on?” He yawned. 

“You tell me?” Kya said, motioning to the tiny creature that resembled something between a cat and weasel, except it was bright red. It had posted up on the dash board and was enjoying the ride. 

Bolin blushed. “Oh, hehe. That’s just my best friend – Pabu.”

“Were you gonna tell us about your best friend before or after the hike?” Lin interrogated.

“Sometime in the middle?” 

“Not good enough,” Lin said.

“OK. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just really wanted a ride, and you ladies were gonna take me all the way, you know – I don’t know.” He slumped. “I was afraid you’d change your mind. You can let me off, if you like. Can you please just drop me next to some civilization so I can have a fighting chance?”

Lin and Kya exchanged glances. 

“So the next gas station then?” Lin said.

“What? No way. The little thing’s harmless… right?” Kya looked back at Bolin.

“Yes! He’s a great companion. Good in a pinch for all sorts of things – mostly just company. Would never hurt a fly, though uh, yeah, he does like to hunt small things. So if there’s a mouse or rat problem – tah dah, we have Pabu to help us!”

“Oh brother!” Lin said, and Kya rubbed her arm. 

“Oh c’mon, you have to admit, he’s cute.” Kya said.

“The ferret or the Kid?”

“I mean we both are, let’s be honest.” Bolin interjected. “But we’re a duo – without my brother anyway. Then we were a trio. But he’s waiting for me in LA.”

Kya smiled. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get you there. That is -- unless you turn out to be a creep, then it’s –” She made a slicing motion with her thumb across her neck.

Bolin hoped she didn’t mean literally and nodded his head emphatically. 

“Yes ma’am! I won’t keep any more secrets from you.”

“Good,” Lin said.

*

They touched down in Austin but not before stopping for fireworks. Driving through Texas, they had spotted several large signs on the side of the freeway touting firecrackers and finally caved in. 

“We’ll stay here for the night, although we’ll camp out in the van to conserve funds. Bolin, I have a tent for you and extra sleeping bags. It’s sort of tight in here – sorry.” 

“None taken. Plus, I know y’all prolly want some alone time. Wink wink.”

“Please don’t say wink wink to me,” Lin said.

“OK, I won’t.” Bolin winked exaggeratedly at Kya; she winked back and high fived him. That’s when Bolin got a bright idea: “Say, if I’m gonna go to Hollywood, I need a look.”

“A look?” Kya said.

“Yeah, like, you know how James Dean had the jacket and the hair – a look!”

Kya gave him a once over, rubbing her chin. “OK, OK. I see what you’re stepping in. A look.”

“I need a cool jacket or something, but where I come from everything is so expensive. Maybe it’ll be cheaper here.”

“Ooh, we should go thrifting!” Kya said.

“Yes! I like the way you think, kindred Kya.”

“Yippee skippy,” Lin added unenthusiastically.

They parked somewhere downtown and walked three abreast down Congress toward the Capitol building. The area was quaint with cute little shops lining the streets. They found a mom and pop coffee shop and re-upped on caffeine. 

“What’ll be sweetie?” The barista-tender, a youngish man wearing a fedora hat with a feather tipped at a jaunty angle, asked Lin who growled back:

“I ain’t your sweetie!”

The barista-tender recoiled. 

“What she means to say is three house brews, small, black,” Kya said. She took Lin’s hand and rubbed her back. “By the way, is there a thrift shop around here?”

“Oh, plenty. Just keep walking and you’re sure to run into something.” 

They paid for the coffees and sat a minute to collect themselves. When Bolin ran to the bathroom, Kya took the opportunity to check in with Lin.

“Hey, Love. You OK? You seem grumpy… er than usual.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I’m here, if you wanna talk.”

“I just don’t like random guys calling me sweetie is all.”

“Honey, this is Texas. People here say that by default.”

“I didn’t see him calling Bolin sweetie.”

“He is though, isn’t he?”

“I guess. Alright I know why. It’s just – that guy, this place reminds me of someone I’d rather not think about.”

“Who?”

Before Lin could answer, Bolin returned from the bathroom and Lin took that as an opportunity for them to press on with their mission of finding him a look.

They came upon a thrift shop with a row of used cowboy boots lining the front display. A fringe leather jacket adorned a mannequin outside the shop, and Kya tried it on, grabbing a cowboy hat and tilting it forward toward Lin. 

“How do I look, partner?”

“Honestly, you look beautiful in just about anything,” Lin said. 

Kya blushed and felt heat in her body rising with want for the other woman. “Fun but not my style.”

Bolin had wandered off toward the jacket section and was trying on different fits.

Kyalin was about to join him when they noticed a cute young woman with sparking green eyes a bob helping him out. She was flipping through the rack and pulling out jackets, while Bolin tried them on. They were flirting big time, so the couple left them well enough alone.

They wandered to an area lined with food trucks and settled on some delicious Tex Mex. 

Eventually Bolin came strolling up wearing a black leather bomber jacket.

“Nice! Looks like that girl helping you had good taste,” Kya teased him.

Bolin’s face was bright read, his eyes glazed over in reverie of a girl.

He sighed. “Yeahhhh. Opal’s her name. Pretty name. Smells purdy too.”

“Someone’s sprung,” Lin said.

“Who me? Nah. Just happy to meet new people.” He joined them at the bench and twiddled his thumbs.

Kya shared one of her tacos with him and he scarfed it down, sharing bites with Pabu.

“So did you get her number?” 

Bolin held a piece of paper up with nice handwriting on it. 

“Way to go Bolin!” Kya said. “Well that settles it; we’re staying here tonight.”

“I thought we already settled it,” Lin said.

“It’s extra settled now.”

But Bolin was no longer present. It was clear his mind was elsewhere.

“Why don’t we see if there’s any local music playing,” Kya said.

“There’s gotta be. This is Austin.” Lin added.

Bolin and Kya gave her a look. “Something you wanna share? Been here before?”

Lin crossed her arms and shrugged. “Once or twice.”

“I see. Either way – Bolin you should invite your lady friend to join us.”

*

They managed to find a lowdown dive bar playing live blues music, and Bolin used the pay phone to invite Opal. 

The bar was dark and narrow and warm from sweaty bodies rubbing up against one another. Kya offered to be team and remain sober for the night, which left the other two knuckleheads to let loosey-goosey. 

Of course Bolin was broke, but he had enough for a few of the cheapest beers – it was between Pabst Blue Ribbon and Tecate, which were two dollars a tall can. 

“Tecate, why not-tay?” Bolin said to the bartender, who rolled her eyes and grabbed a can, placing a lime wedge on top as if that would magically make it taste good. 

But Bolin wasn’t complaining, he was looking about the room and constantly checking the door for his lady friend.

Lin placed her hand on his shoulder. “Relax, Kid. She’ll turn up. And if she doesn’t, screw it.”

She lifted up her gin and tonic, a mature lady’s drink. “Cheers.”

They clanked, drank. 

Kya was already on the dance floor waving her arms about all hippy-style to the blues band, which was comprised of middle-aged local cats and led by an elderly Black man with a case of harmonicas he kept at his side as he wailed into the mic. 

Though the lead singer-harmonica player looked to be in his seventies or so, he was a lively fellow, just as energetic than some the youngins’ letting loose and dancing wild as white unicorn. In fact, he set the tone of the room.

Lin had finished her second gin and tonic and was feeling mighty fine. She watched Kya dancing there shamelessly and felt the invisible pull of the music and pretty lady. Next thing she knew, she was sidling up behind Kya and wrapping her arms around the other woman’s waist, pulling her close and leaning her head into the back of Kya’s sweaty nape. The smell was intoxicating. They swayed their hips like that, dancing hip to hip. 

Maybe it was the drinks talking but Lin didn’t give a rat’s ass about looking awkward. All she cared was that Kya was there with her and smiling. 

Kya turned around and draped her arms over Lin’s shoulders, Lin reciprocating once again about the waist. 

“Oooh wee, your breath -- you been drinkin’!” Kya drawled, trying out her best Texan accent but sounding more generic than anything.

It didn’t matter though because next thing she knew, Lin’s mouth met hers and her chest was heaving at the gentle, electrifying touch. They were making out right there on the dance floor, not caring a lick who was watching.

Eventually Bolin joined them.

“Any sign of her?” Kya said.

“Not yet. Maybe she’s not coming after all.” 

Bolin looked a little blue at the prospect of being stood up, and Kyalin took pity, inviting him to dance with them. 

Kya winked. “C’mon, you’ll be our date.” 

The three danced like that a long time, and it seemed Bolin had begun to forget about Opal when he felt a finger tap on his shoulder.

“Excuse me, may I cut in?”

He flipped around and almost fell over with happiness at the sight of her. 

“Opal! You made it!”

He introduced her to Kya and Lin who smiled and let the two young lovebirds to their own devices. They posted up at the bar, talking, looking each other steady in the eyes and smiling wide. 

“That boy’s got it bad,” Lin said, watching them from afar. She turned to Kya. “I do too.”

“Are you trying to get into my pants?” 

“Um, no, but I def—”

“Because it’s working.” Kya leaned in and whispered in Lin’s ear. “I want you to fuck me.”

Lin turned beat red. “Yes, ma’am. When? Where? Now? But the bathroom’s dirty, I mean I would though. OK, let’s go --”

Kya laughed, running her fingers through Lin’s hair. “You are adorable. Soon. Very.”

Meantime, Bolin came up and said he was taking off with Opal. Gonna go walk around and get some fresh air, find somewhere quiet where they can get to know each other. He said don’t worry about him and that they’ll meet at the same coffee shop in the morning. 

Lin and Kya gave each other a knowing look and nodded. 

“Be safe, Kid,” Kya said.

And just like that the two young lovebirds disappeared into the night. 

They stayed until last call, and Lin was good and sloppy drunk. 

“Don’t tell the guys on the force I’m druuuuuunk!” Lin called out into the cool night as they left.

Kya was positioning her upward and trying and failing to keep her gait steady. 

“Alright, Tiger. Let’s get you to bed. We just gotta walk a couple of blocks to the van.”

“Hotel? Making love? Fucking all the livelong night?” Lin slurred. “I got good goo-goo eyes for that.”

“Hmm, maybe. Let’s see what happens when we get all tucked in. In fact, I’m plum-tuckered. Aren’t you?”

“Hell no! I feel alive again thanks to you!”

“Glad I could help. I think those gin and tonics did too.”

Lin giggled. “Yeah.”

They somehow made it back to Congress Ave. where the van was parked, and Lin turned toward the state Capitol and put two middle fingers up.

“Whoa, why are we fucking the man tonight?”

“I’m done fucking men,” Lin chirped. “Shh, keep it a secret OK?”

“What?” Kya whispered.

“My ex is the governor.”

Kya’s eyes widened but she needed to stay focused on her mission of getting Lin back to the van. “Remind me to ask you about it in the morning.”

Back at the van, Kya laid Lin down in the back and wrapped her up in ample blankets. She parked somewhere that seemed safe enough to camp for the night. It was cold and she couldn’t wait to exchange body heat with Lin.

When she climbed in the back, Lin was snoring loudly, already fast asleep. Kya smiled and tucked herself in, fell asleep with her leg draped around the other woman.

*

When they awoke the next morning, Lin’s head pounded. 

“Water,” she rasped. “And coffee.” At this age, a recklness night out drinking meant dire morning consequences. But it was worth it.

Kya had a water ready for her and a bucket just in case but the coffee would have to wait until they got to the shop.

Bolin was already waiting for them at the cafe with Opal sitting opposite of him wearing his jacket, Pabu sitting snugly in her lap. 

“Well well, fancy see you two here all bright and early,” Kya said. “Opal right?”

“Yeahhhhh,” Bolin replied. “I mean, she can answer herself.” 

Opal chuckled. “That’s me. And you’re Kya and Lin – Bolin told me so much about you.”

Lin was positively wretched and could only grunt short terse replies. “Coffee.”

They grabbed coffees and sat there enjoying the quiet morning awhile before their next adventure.

“So what did you two get into last night?” Kya continued.

“Oh, we just walked around all night, talking,” Bolin said. He couldn’t keep his eyes off Opal, even as he answered Kya.

What a darling couple they make, she thought.

Lin grunted quietly as she sipped her coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ofc we've learned that Opal is not related to Lin here. Also, I wanted to note that when researching American black-footed ferrets, I discovered that they're sadly endangered. In my story they aren't, but I think I should note this for awareness' sake.
> 
> I also wanted to wait to publish this until after Texas got its power back for the most part.


End file.
